Forum gather to adopt new strategy for Gambia's cultural sector

Cultural industries contribute more to GDP than any other sector

Published on 15 June 2011

Author(s): Today-Gambia/NENEH GALLEH BARRY & MAM NDEGENE SECKA

Type:  News

The minister noted that it has been acknowledged, that they cannot in fact talk of meaningful and sustainable socio-economic development if the cultural dimension is left out

The National Centre for Arts and Culture under the auspices of the Ministry of Tourism and Culture on Tuesday commenced a three-day forum with its stakeholders in the cultural field to develop a new strategic plan that will revamp the country's policies on culture and take the country to 2015 and beyond, and therefore contribute positively to the objectives enshrined in vision 2020. The forum is underway at the Dunes Hotel in Kololi.

Delivering the keynote address, Hon. Fatou Mass-Jobe Njie, minister for Tourism and Culture noted that cultural industries contribute more to GDP than any other sector for many of the developed countries, and provide employment to hundreds of thousands of people in these countries.

According to her the cultural industries are therefore an important economic variable in national development whose potentials must be harnessed to the fullest for the socio-economic advancement of our people.

She explained that the NCAC by virtue of its legal mandate is charged with the responsibility to preserve, promote and develop all aspects of the Gambia's cultural heritage, the tangible and intangible, as well as the movable and immovable.

The institutionalization of the of the International Roots Homecoming Festival and the Kanllai International Cultural festival, not to mention H.E The President’s unrelenting financial support to of artists and artistic groups serves as clear testimony to the commitment His Excellency and to preserve promote and develop the cultural heritage of The Gambia,” Hon Njie noted.

The minister also noted that it has been acknowledged by scholars and development planners internationally, that they cannot in fact talk of meaningful and sustainable socio-economic development if the cultural dimension is left out, noting that, culture is so cross-cutting that the cultural dimension of development must be and mainstreamed if a nation is to realize the development needs of the people.

She went further to note that the five year strategic document that evolves for three day deliberations should hopefully lead the way forward for the optimal realization of the aims and aspirations of stakeholders in the cultural sector. Noting that, a great number of young people, both male and female are in one way or the other involved in the arts, and that they look up to government through her Ministry and the National Centre for Arts and Culture for the development of their artistic careers. She said the strategy that should therefore have meaning in the lives of these young people, and be relevant to their needs.

Hon. Mass Jobe-Njie said the plan should therefore be premised on poverty reduction and must be in line with the government’s Programme for Accelerated Growth and Employment (PAGE), adding that it must be a plan that will address the needs of musicians, singers, dancers, theatre practitioners, writers, visual and plastic artists, comedians, and indeed all manner of artists, “in short, there is need for a robust and coherent strategy that will put culture on the central axis of the country’s development agenda; one that will create wealth and employment for our young; one that will recreate the synergies, partnerships and programmes that will not only answer to the needs of artists, but also preserve our cultural valueSthat account so very much for our identity as people and as a nation.” she added.

She therefore noted that the forum will focus on the need to preserve those intrinsic elements in their culture values par excellence that make them truly Gambian, how to do it and taking a look at the NCAC, its remit, achievements and challenges on how it can do its work better and among others.

She concluded by urging the participants to come up with credible recommendations that will be achievable, implementable and sustainable within the context of PAGE and the nation's develoment blueprint, the vision 2020.

Also speaking at the forum, Mr. Francis Mboge, chariman of the National Centre for Arts Culture said that The Gambia needs bold new strategies to grow into the future, and that it should set to promote their pride and nationhood thus enabling them own future by being a tolernt, compassionate, just and caring nation. He added that the country's cultural values, tradition, history and the national principles should guide their efforts and the nation in the future, as they relate to their families, the communities, the nation and other nations.

He noted that the strategies should also link culture firmly to areas of national priority, such as tourism, agriculture, health, housing, etc. to ensure that culture is entrench as a fundamental component of development, and also to ensure that a strong links is forged with the traditional art forms.

Mr. Mboge added that due consideration should be put in developing a new curricula for art education, which is rooted in and reflects the many strands of Gambian culture, and teachers appreciation of these stands.

He said there is urgent need to provide and establish a national theatre, which according to him, will encourage threatre practice and management, and would invite the participation of the majority so as to misimize the creative potential of all. Adding that, popular participation in culture activities is a necessary factor of social justice and an effectives tools of social integration and international intercources.

“Theatre should also have a community focus. Therefore, the provision and establishment of regional community cultural centres and serbices should also be encouraged and strengthened throughout the country, as these play a crucial role in making culture and the arts accessible and training of communities at the grassroots level,” he said.

Mboge called on the need for Government to facilitare an enabling environment for increased resources, provision for cultural development and national heritage through development and recurrent budgets, he said culture is cross-cutting all sectors, and adding that the Ministries and Local Government should therefore be required to identify culture issues within their mandate and fund these activities within their budget ceilings.

He went on to note that culture stands to contribute to the growth of the private and informal sectors through advertising and manufacturing of cultural products. He said the private sector should thus be challenged to support the development of cultural industries through sponsorship promotion and marketing, especially in the areas of crafts, music and other performing arts. “Whether this can be achieved by encouraging the contribution of the private sector to the funding of culture and the arts with such mechanisms as tax rebates, incentives and so forth can be discussed later,” he said.

He concluded by urging the participants to carefully selected for their knowledge, experience and expertise and come up with a new NCAC strategic plan which will also incorporate realistic timelines for implementation.

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